NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More than 6 million people are living with Alzheimer's in America. One in 9 people over the age of 65 are diagnosed with the disease. Saturday, more than a thousand people in Nashville joined the Walk to End Alzheimer's at Nissan Stadium.
The Alzheimer's Association hopes Nashville will raise $1.25 million, and even expects that goal to have been surpassed by the end of the walk.
Last year's walk was the fifth largest out of 600 across the country. This year, the Tennessee Alzheimer's Association hoped to beat that and be even bigger.
People were encouraged to register online in advance, but in-person registration started at 7 a.m. The opening ceremony kicked off the start of the walk at 8 a.m.
Executive Director of the Nashville Alzheimer's Association, Dawne Bunn, said the walk is a celebration of how far research has come on the disease; it raises awareness of the resources provided for families dealing with the disease, and it brings families who can relate to each other together.
"Really, we lovingly call the Walk to End Alzheimer's the largest support group of the year. So, those families come together; they get to share their journey with others that may not be on the same journey as them but can certainly appreciate what they're experiencing and what they're going through," said Bunn.
Bunn said the money raised also goes towards advocacy and legislation to help Alzheimer's patients and families. An example of this was the Colonel Thomas G. Bowden Memorial Act signed by the governor earlier this year.
"A lot of these caregivers don't have that opportunity to step away to go to the grocery store or take care of themselves to exercise. So, we're excited about the pilot, we're hoping that the state will recognize the need here in Tennessee and fund the program permanently through the state."
It is Halloween weekend, so kids who attended the walk were encouraged to come in costumes and do a little trick-or-treating at the tents at the walk.
